Election Time!

Tomorrow is municipal election time in my neck of the woods.  Time to vote for the next Mayor, Councillor, School Board Trustees and Regional Chair. 

My politics teacher in high school instilled in me the importance of voting - that it was our civic duty and that we couldn't complain about our government if we didn't speak up at election time.  He also taught me that it wasn't enough to just go through the motions - You need to know who and what you're voting for.

So for the last couple weeks I have been brushing up on my knowledge of these political posts as well as reading everything I can find about the various candidates.  I want to know what they believe in, what they stand for and why they think they deserve my vote.  The internet has made this so much easier than in the past when I had to rely on the newspaper and possibly a televised debate (providing I was available at the time or remembered to set the VCR!)  The typical candidate now has a website (and often a Facebook page) where they tell you everything you need to know.  Some are bare basics while others are a masterpiece of marketing.

When I head to the polls tomorrow, I'll feel confident that I'm voting for those who I believe are the best candidates for the jobs.  I hope that many others will have that same feeling when it's time for them to vote.  And for those who don't want to take the time to educate themselves in time for an election, I offer this advice - Please stay home.

Religious Hypocrite of the Day - US Army Chaplain Lt Col William McCoy

The hubby and I recently received some chastising from a Christian friend for allowing the bad behaviour of a few in the religious community to tarnish our view of the whole flock.  The hubby wisely countered that "When an organization touts moral authority, it opens itself to scrutiny." 

The problem I see with my friend's argument is that it seems to be the other way around.  I have met very few religious people who actually practice what they preach.  The above mentioned friend is absolutely one of them.  From what I've seen, she lives every moment of her life as a testament to her beliefs.  While I strongly disagree with those beliefs, I can still be impressed by her ability to walk the talk.

But back to the bad apples.  I've lived, gone to school and worked in various environments.  I've also attended a variety of houses of worship.  This has all brought me into direct contact with a lot of people in the religious community.  And I've read the news from around the world which has allowed indirect knowledge of many more.  Very few of them follow the rules as laid out by their own deity.  Some are, in my eyes, minor transgressions such as little white lies.  Others are to the opposite extreme and include pedophilia.  Then there's everything in between.  Sometimes it's things that I have no personal issue with (ie sex before marriage), but are still considered to be sinful under the individual's supposed religious beliefs.

This brings me to US Army Chaplain Lt Col William McCoy.  This gentleman is not only a religious leader (Chaplain), he is also the author of "Under Orders: A Spiritual Handbook for Military Personnel" in which he provides spiritual guidance for those in the armed services.  This book was endorsed for all military members by Gen Patraeus.

It turns out that Lt Col McCoy and his wife also have a very adventuresome sex life including swinging, threesomes, naked photos posted online, voyeurism, cybersex and masturbation (apparently he wasn't listening to Christine O'Donnell!).  To be perfectly clear, I have no moral objections to anything in this list, but Lt Col McCoy's god DOES. 

How dare he claim to be a spiritual and moral authority while at the same time defying so many of the covenants touted by his god?!?!?!?!

Canadian Blood Services Needs Type O Neg Blood

I received this email today from Canadian Blood Services:

I am writing to ask for your help.

You are one of only 7% of Canadians with O Negative blood. You are part of a select group whose donations are compatible with all blood types; you hold the title of universal donor.

In an emergency situation, such as a car accident, your blood can be given to patients in need when there is no time to check their blood type. For this reason, we need O Negative donations more than any other right now so we are asking you to help us find others that share your blood type.

Chances are that other members of your family have type O Negative blood as well. Please encourage them to call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) and book an appointment today. If they are unaware of their blood type, this will be determined when they donate.

It may be that you will be in need of blood yourself someday, and type O recipients can only receive type O blood. By encouraging other family members who share your blood type to start donating, you can help ensure we have a healthy supply of O Negative blood now and into the future.

On behalf of patients in need, thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Graham Sher
Chief Executive Officer

I try to make a blood donation every 2 months.  My next trip is in a couple weeks.  All it takes is a little time out of my schedule.  One donation has the potential to save 3 lives and they thank me with cookies.  How awesome is that?

So I want to encourage anyone and everyone who is reading this and able, to call your local blood services and make an appointment to donate.  Don't stop there.  Spread the word and encourage others to do the same.  Maybe we could even arrange some blood drives at our places of work. 

The last time I went there was a man there making his 200th donation!!!  If he had never missed a donation opportunity (every 63 days) that would still have taken 34.5 years!!!!  Let's try to get more people working towards the 200 club.  We'll take it one cookie at a time!